The Ancient Child: A Novel [Paperback]

N. Scott Momaday (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 12, 1990

In his first novel since the Pulitzer Prize-winning House Made of Dawn, N. Scott Momaday shapes the ancient Kiowa myth of a boy who turned into a bear into a timeless American classic. The Ancient Child juxtaposes Indian lore and Wild West legend into a hypnotic, often lyrical contemporary novel--the story of Locke Setman, known as Set, a Native American raised far from the reservation by his adoptive father. Set feels a strange aching in his soul and, returning to tribal lands for the funeral of his grandmother, is drawn irresistibly to the fabled bear-boy. When he meets Grey, a beautiful young medicine woman with a visionary gift, his world is turned upside down. Here is a magical saga of one man's tormented search for his identity--a quintessential American novel, and a great one.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A tour de force of clarity and brilliance." -- San Francisco Chronicle

"Some of the finest writing about the plains I've ever read...The Ancient Child comes as close to a book-length prose poem as any novel you'll see this year. Put aside your normal expectations and let it have its way with you, and you'll be in for a real treat." -- Alan Cheuse, "All Things Considered" (National Public Radio)

About the Author

N. Scott Momaday is a novelist, a poet, and a painter. Among the awards he has received for writing are the Pulitzer Prize and the Premio Letterario Internazionale "Mondello." He is Regent's Professor of English at the University of Arizona, and he lives in Tucson with his wife and daughter.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial; 1ST edition (September 12, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060973455
• ISBN-13: 978-0060973452
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #406,931 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful and beautiful novel about the American West, February 1, 2002

By 

L. Barden "larsky" (Oakland, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Ancient Child: A Novel (Paperback)

Momaday, as you probably know, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1969 for his first novel, "House Made of Dawn." In that book, the hero, torn between the Native American world and modern America, and deeply affected by his Vietnam war experiences, finally disintegrates, unable to continue fighting the forces trying to destroy him.

Twenty years later, Momaday published his second book, "The Ancient Child," and it's just as powerful, just as beautifully written, as his first.

The premise is similar to the first book. A man is torn between two worlds, tormented by nightmares, and finds himself drawn to the desert. He finds his destiny, and it too is disintegration. But whereas the disintegration in "House Made of Dawn" is a violent, tragic event, in "The Ancient Child" it comes across as a process of spiritual resolution and healing, rather than destruction.

That's why I regard this book as superior to its Prize-winning predecessor. Momaday's vision seems more holistic, more encompassing in this book. His first novel's tragic vision leaves you haunted and a little horrified. This book will leave you equally haunted, not in horror, but in quiet awe of the inevitable metaphysical reckoning we all must undergo when we leave this world, and the paths we take to get there.

Read it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Beautiful and Poetic Art of Identity, April 16, 2009

By 

Geoffrey R. Tourville - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Ancient Child: A Novel (Paperback)

The Ancient Child by N. Scott Momaday, copyright 1934, ISBN 0-385-27972-8, and published through Doubleday, is a story about the crisis of identity and one man and woman's struggle to discover their true selves. Written as four books, The Ancient Child explores the undeniable tie to identity and the discovery of how the soul truly exists.

There's an enlightening quality to the novel that leaves the reader with a deeper understanding of the major themes and how these ideas of identity, feminism, land, and languages are tied to a true identity. By working through two separate characters, Set and Grey, who struggle with the same identity crisis, the reader is able to perceive the intricacies of such an issue and the unique ways in which a person must find and establish who they are. The Ancient Child is truly a masterful work that combines the sweet poetic language of a dream world with ruthless punches of reality to create a story that can resound through the hearts of readers across generational and cultural boundaries. Through the use of Spanish, Navajo, and Kiowa words, phrases, myths, and traditions, the reader becomes embroiled in the world of Momaday and the depth of the lives of these struggling characters. The beauty of the world that surrounds these characters is often eclipsed by their desperation for a true and whole identity and the harshness of their realities. Delicately portrayed and profoundly thought provoking, The Ancient Child is truly a work of art.

If you're searching for a book that will challenge your perceptions of reality and introduce you to a world where myth, legend, dreams, and fantasy still hold a powerful sway, then The Ancient Child is a must read. The Ancient Child is excellent for any reader, college age or above, who is searching for an intellectual challenge and a gateway to a world interweaved with the words of Native languages. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this powerful, beautifully articulated work to anyone and would gladly pursue the text again and again.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stupid story, magnificent writing., May 8, 2010

By 

Robin H. (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Ancient Child: A Novel (Paperback)

This story read at times like literary soft porn, a wet dream for the middle-aged man who has lost all sense of meaning in life. Hey, wouldn't it be great to just be saved by a gorgeous, sex-loving 19 year old whose entire mission in life is to support your spiritual unfoldment? Oh please. The hot chick, the sex scenes, ridiculously gratuitous. And how long (and how many times) can we linger on the female character's perfect curves, her stunning violet eyes (ok, nobody really has violet eyes, especially not a native american). Story-wise, this is basically the equivalent of a Harlequin romance, but for men. Just plain silly.

OK, that said, this is definitely in my top three all-time novels in terms of sheer beauty of prose and poetic vision. It's so stunning in parts, I cannot even take a single star away from it. I am still utterly confounded by the fact that such devastatingly beautiful passages can go into writing an ultimately silly story. I have no explanation. It just is.